Measuring the Country Brand Image: Implications to Manage the Smart Cities
The purpose of this research is to validate the country brand image of Spain. This measurement permits to assess if the country brand image is positive or negative, and its implications for governments. If the Spanish companies perceive positively the ima
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Measuring the Country Brand Image: Implications to Manage the Smart Cities José María Cubillo-Pinilla, Alicia Blanco-González, Cristina Marín-Palacios, and Mariano Méndez-Suárez
Abstract The purpose of this research is to validate the country brand image of Spain. This measurement permits to assess if the country brand image is positive or negative, and its implications for governments. If the Spanish companies perceive positively the image of Spain then support policies related to smart cities will be easier to approve and apply. The chapter concludes that the image of Spain is experiencing a dynamic and positive development. Spain is perceived as a country with friendly, creative, and qualified people. This perception reinforces that one of Spain’s best assets is its human capital. However, Spain is perceived as a country developing a reputation with regard to innovation and technology. These results indicate that the implementation of policies of smart cities will strengthen the brand image of Spain and therefore its implementation will be supported by public-private institutions.
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Introduction
A strong country brand stimulates exports, attracting tourism, investments, and immigration (Fetscherin, 2010). In recent years, academic researchers have used different country brand terms as destination image, national image, national identity, national stereotypes, or country of origin (COO) (Beerli & Martin, 2004; Dinnie, 2008; Hosany, Ekinci, & Uysal, 2006; Kavaratzis, 2005; Skinner & Kubacki,
J.M. Cubillo-Pinilla • C. Marín-Palacios • M. Méndez-Suárez Universidad Rey Juan Carlos & European Academy of Management and Business Economics (AEDEM), Madrid, Spain Marketing Department, ESIC Business & Marketing School, Avenida de Valdenigrales s/n Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] A. Blanco-González (*) Universidad Rey Juan Carlos & European Academy of Management and Business Economics (AEDEM), Madrid, Spain e-mail: [email protected] © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 M. Peris-Ortiz et al. (eds.), Sustainable Smart Cities, Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40895-8_13
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2007). The country brand can be defined as the union of elements that provide the nation’s cultural differentiation and relevance for all target audiences (Dinnie, 2008). It refers to the application of marketing and branding strategies by different countries. Unlike advertising campaigns and public relationships used for specific purposes at short term, the country brand is another way to improve the country’s reputation and adapt the stakeholders, for example visitors, institutions, and small caps (Anholt, 2007; Dinnie, 2008). A strong and positive country brand development has a direct and measurable impact on the country (Anholt, 2007). As the usefulness of a product brand offers an additional value to the consumer, a strong and positive country brand management has
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